Phenomenal George Ford Crucial to Beating the Kiwis
Ford earned the starting role to open facing the Kiwis ahead of the Smith alternatives.
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In November 2024, English number 10 George Ford appeared disappointed at Allianz Stadium.
He was called upon off the sidelines to assist England secure a famous win versus the All Blacks, however was unable to score a crucial penalty plus a drop-goal attempt as his side fell short in a close contest.
Following those costly misses, Ford needed to put in effort to get another shot to achieve success to the English team.
He saw just 25 minutes of action throughout the Six Nations tournament yet multiple strong showings, especially during the summer matches against Argentina and the USA as Fin Smith and Marcus Smith were absent for British and Irish Lions duty, returned him solidly in the starting mix.
At 32 years old fully validated Steve Borthwick's faith through his selection versus New Zealand, plus the club standout produced a man-of-the-match display to assist the home team to their initial victory over New Zealand in their own stadium since 2012.
The crucial point in the game Ford nailed consecutive drop-kicks right before half-time.
It helped England overcome a 12-0 deficit to trail 12-11 by halftime, prior to the coach's talented substitutes repeatedly excelled after halftime to support England to a decisive 33-19 victory.
"Recognition should be offered to the veteran members in our team, especially George," the manager commented. "During that phase when he converted those crucial kicks, he directed play absolutely brilliantly.
"Twelve months ago I believed Ford substituted and competed really well [versus the All Blacks].
"A kick hit the post while he attempted a drop-goal under pressure, yet he performed excellently.
"He is a phenomenal leader, an outstanding athlete and an even finer individual. We are honored to include him in our squad."
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Drop-goals 'part of the strategy'
During 2024, Ford's misses from the tee were expensive as the team was defeated by the All Blacks - however it proved a different story in the recent game.
The All Blacks began rapidly at Allianz Stadium, surging to a 12-point lead with tries by Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.
Subsequent to Ollie Lawrence's impressive score, Ford's back-to-back drop-goals meant the hosts bounced into the halftime break with psychological advantage.
"The difficult aspect at those times comes when the board shows twelve to zero, we can stick to our strategy and our convictions the superior method to play the game is," Ford said.
"We got ourselves back into the game and we recognized should we begin the final period strongly, with the bench coming on, we found ourselves in a good position.
"Despite having fifteen minutes to go, we were positioned near our try line with a yellow card, thus we encountered obstacles in that instance too.
"I believe this illustrates Test rugby is - who manages best with those moments superiorly."
The two attempts came within two minutes of each other as Ford who nailed three crucial kicks in a win versus Argentina at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, demonstrated his full international experience.
Ford converted two drop-kicks with Sale in a league contest occurring during challenging weather versus Bath - this demonstrates a talent he has extensively practiced.
"The drop-kicks form part of our strategy," Ford continued.
"Steve is such a phenomenal leader that he is always reminding me, and rightly so since three points is valuable during any phase of play."
Ford directed England excellently around the field the entire match, making smart decisions - both to compete and in finding space against the defensive line.
His characteristic 'spiral bomb' also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.
Following his start in the national team's triumph against Australia on 1 November, Ford handed over the starting role to the younger Smith for the Fiji victory a week later.
Yet the most significant examination theoretically this season was presented by the experienced New Zealand team, and Ford reclaimed his spot.
The English team, presently maintaining an unbeaten streak of ten, meet Argentina this month and it will be interesting to discover if Borthwick goes back to Fin Smith or maintains Ford.
Whatever choice occurs, Ford demonstrated with two years remaining prior to global competition that significant amounts of rugby left within him.
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